Falling Into the Fall Activities

Gerald ran over to Brian and Mary Ellen’s 100 acres on down the road from us yesterday and found their persimmon trees ready to gather after the heavy frosts we have had. Wildlife had found them also, but he was able to cover a goodly portion his bucket. He hulled them and I washed them and put them in the freezer today. It has been a few years since I’ve had persimmons to make the persimmon pudding that Gerald’s mother taught me to make with her pioneer grandmother’s method. So it looks like we’ll have pudding for Thanksgiving.

At the grocery store today, there was a huge supply of frozen turkeys already. I guess I might as well go ahead and choose one. Last year I could only get a fresh one, which I had never done before. It made me nervous because I did not know how long they had been in the store. I think I prefer the frozen ones although I do hate to thaw them. I especially hate wrestling that piece of metal hooked into the flesh. Plastic hooks are sometimes replacing the metal now, and that is a little easier.

My mother enjoyed the story of one of her fellow teachers about a Thanksgiving turkey. She had anticipated the holiday dinner prepared by her daughter-in-law when she and her husband traveled to northern Illinois where their son was in med school. Mother asked her for a report on the visit, and her colleague laughingly told about arriving Thanksgiving morning. Her daughter-in-law said she had everything ready for the noon meal--except the turkey. She handed her a frozen turkey with the explanation that she would let her prepare the turkey since she had not cooked one before.

Going thru the drive-in yesterday, I was having the girl ask me, "What do you want?" at the same time a call came from Gerry on top of a mountain in the Yucatan saying, "What's you doing?" He was telling me how to spell the mountain to look it up on the Internet while the girl at the next window was asking me for my money. I did not get the spelling. By the time I picked up the two hamburgers for me and Katherine, he had to hang up. But it was a fun call as he was so excited about the archeological discoveries he was seeing on a tour up there. He was finding tourist things for some wives coming with their hunter husbands in a couple of weeks. He is excited about this new duck-hunting venture in a different part of Mexico where the skies are black with ducks above the rice fields. The rice farmers are very glad for him to be there.

I am anticipating the Western Kentucky Book Expo at Sturgis this Saturday. It is by far larger than any of our local book fairs. Unfortunately, that day is also my 55th high school reunion and a Southern Force tournament in St. Louis. Our oldest granddaughter and family will be coming to coach, and our only great grandchild will be there. Actually, he may be in a motel room with his Gma Vickie if it is not pretty weather. Part of the gang will be staying at Mary Ellen and Brian’s, and Gerald may be with grandkids in their camper at a nearby park. Gerry and I will be wishing that we were there. People suspect he may be. Ha. Ha. We’ll see if he can resist seeing Aidan.

Gerald and I got our flu shots yesterday. Do you have yours?